Visiting the Washington Monument

June 7th was the perfect day. Sunny and warm, with a cool breeze. I never make it down to the Mall on the weekends, but after this trip I realized I need to do it more often. It's gorgeous. There's sunshine, a beautiful, spacious landscape and everyone is happy.

As we walked closer to the Washington Monument, I realized it was the first time I've ever been so close to it. I've walked by many times, of course, but never before to the center, inside the circle of American flags. It was as American as apple pie.

See the two different colors? It's because the National Monument Society ran out of money in 1854, then twenty-five year later the U.S. Government took over the project and used a differed quarry. Want to learn more fun facts about the Washington monument? Here they are.

When you go up to the top of the Washington Monument you can see three National Monuments from a new perspective.

The Lincoln Memorial

The White House

The U.S. Capitol

We all loved it. And took lots of pictures!

Here's another view of the White House. Somewhere out there is our neighborhood, our home.

From inside the top, you can look out the windows in each direction--to the North, West, East and South. Since DC is divided into quadrants, here are the views of  NW, NE, SE, SW.

Northwest

The Potomac river, the Key Bridge, Georgetown University, & Baked and Wired.

Northeast

Noma, Brookland, DC Armory, H street & Toki Underground.

Southeast

My office building, National's Stadium, the Potomac river & the National Harbor (with the Capitol wheel I need to go on).

Southwest

The Jefferson Memorial, the Pentagon, the Tidal Basin (home of the Cherry Blossoms) & Hains point.

Pointing to Hains point. I honestly didn't even know it existed... so now I want to go.

Here's the whole group! I was only allowed to reserve six tickets, and managed to get a great group of six together. A sister, a roommate, a sister's friend from SF, a friend/soul-roommate (took her spot in the apt.) and a friend's friend visiting from France.

And of course, while Stephanie was still taking cool pictures, aka enjoying the moment ...

... we were already instagramming the occasion.

Millennials. We love instagraming our cool activities, especially going up to the top of the Washington Monument.

Thank you, National Park Service for making it possible for us to enjoy our National Monuments! If you're interested in visiting the Washington Monument, check out the National Parks Service site!

Have you ever been to the top of the Washington Monument? What did you think?

2Segsy2Walk

Last week my co-workers and I had an amazing day. We got to ride segways all around the monuments in Washington, DC. We were a bit terrified, so much so that this happened...but by the end of it we felt 2Segsy2Walk (one of our segway's was named 2Segsy). If you ever get a chance to take a segway tour - do it! It's the best way to see the monuments because they are quite far from each other and what better way to zoom around tourists? Even though you are moving without moving, you have to shift your weight and you will get tired. Mostly our feet got really tired. Not sure why, maybe the constant rebalancing of weight?

Be sure to ask for Josh at Capital Segway Tours--he's the best. He watches Game of Thrones and is from the Bay Area. West Coast represent!

I want to go back for a night tour. Anyone interested?

Have you ever been on a segway? Have you ever tried the segway monument tour?

No Translation Needed: Mexico City Metro Icons

Graphic design is one of those things that baffles me. I only arrive at something I can live with by accident. There's something about the precision and need to select from an infinite amount of possibilities that freaks me out and results in really lame graphics. I am a very visual person and I love photography, textile design and other types of design + creation, but ask me to pick a font and make it a particular color and I'll bolt.

Fortunately, there are people that truly excel at the graphic arts. I've seen Lance Wyman's work in many, many places but recently stumbled upon his work for the Mexico City subway system. Lance is an American graphic designer most known for his work on the 1968 Summer Olympic Games logo.

Designing icons for public transportation, especially in cities attractive to tourists, such as his design for the Washington DC metro map is tricky. It must be universally understood regardless of a visitor's native language. The graphics must communicate perfectly so people do not get confused (and lost), but also be aesthetically pleasing and, hopefully, reflect the ethos of the place. In this case study, Lance describes his process to create such wayfinding systems that describe, without written language, where we are, where we want to go, and how to get there.

If you have ever traveled, you know that figuring out the metro system is one of the first things you will have to do, and a key step to learning about the city. In designing the icons for the Mexico City metro system, Lance and his team set about creating a completely visual system, easily understood by anyone from anywhere, much like he had done for the 1968 Summer Olympics icons.

The inspiration for each icon stems from a historical image or structure that relates to the station itself. For example, The Bellas Artes station was inspired by the image of the Art Nouveau Palace of Fine arts and the Tlatelolco was inspired by a tower nearby the station. We love the methodology of these designs and can't wait to see what Lance does next! (Rumor has it he's working on a new map for the National Gallery of Art in DC).

Further exploration:

• Lance Wyman's website
• Radiant Discord: Lance Wyman on the ’68 Olympic Design and the Tlatelolco Massacre
• Interview with Lance Wyman by Designboom
• Lance Wyman to speak at the Brand New Conference this September in Chicago
• Interview with Lance Wyman by Herman Miller
• Lance Wyman: The man behind Metro’s newest subway map

What about you--what's your favorite metro icon design? Tell us in the comments below!

Feeling Infinite

You know that infinite, everlasting, connected to the universe feeling?

I feel it when i'm hiking. When i'm climbing over rocks and jumping between them as often as I can. I love the moment when you realize you've been looking down at the ground (to avoid tripping), then look back up and remember you're in this beautiful & dirty, new & old, untouched & lived in place.

Even though you're hiking on clearly (or sometimes not so clearly) marked trails, it feels like an adventure. You can pretend you're the first one to see that tree sprouting, or to notice the pretty pattern on that rock. In Maryland, you can even spot a lizard or a frog! (Yes, this Arizona girl found that thrilling.)

I hadn't been out in a forest since my high school, summer camp counselor years. I knew I missed it, but had no idea how much. That infinite feeling is good for the soul, so good, that my warrior three started showing.

Thanks to my best friend Anita for making this hike happen. The best part is that this trail, the Billy Goat Trial is only 45 minutes from our neighborhood. And we're already looking forward to our next adventure.

I feel infinite while hiking.

Charlie, Sam & Patrick feel it while standing on the back of a fast-moving truck (in the Perks of being a Wallflower).

Where do you feel infinite?

feels like home: a weekend in LA

time stops

I spent last weekend in Los Angeles. I went out mid-week for work and extended the trip to spend some time with my friend K.Mala.

I used to live in LA and it always feel like home when I return. I'm lucky that I get to go back quite often, so often I can't even remember the last time I was there, or for what reason. I always say LA never changes. I'm sure it does, but it never does for me.

There's something about driving down the 10, palm trees blurred, sky full, KCRW blasting, that just feels right. Every time I walk out of LAX I feel a rush of memories and a part of me is found.

It's hard to plan time to see everyone I want to see, and usually I just have to pick a few people or plan a 'meet me at this bar', which only works sometimes given all my friends' busy schedules. I met my friend at the bar with a martini in hand. We finished it together and caught up. So much has happened since the last time we saw each other -- at Día de los Muertos pop up shop in San Francisco. She moved out of SF first, then I moved. Now we are on opposite sides of the country.     Maybe it's because I spent my formative years in Los Angeles, maybe it's because I fell in love in Los Angeles, maybe it's because some of my favorite moments happened in Los Angeles ... firecrackers in San Pedro, backyard concerts in Echo Park, late nights studying on campus, bonfires in Bolsa Chica, picnics at the Hollywood Bowl, sipping Starbucks on the Promenade, speeding through the canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, dancing at parties before they were parties, developing a habit of making friends with strangers, jazz pickup nights, hotel cafe, places that don't exist anymore, places that will always exist, maybe I just fell in love with a city, and that, I know, will never change.

home away from home

After dinner at the Alcove, we headed out to Hollywood where we reserved an air bnb -- something I've never done before (even though I'm a huge fan of couchsurfing and have done that in a few different countries). The space was wonderful and the handmade furniture was gorgeous. Our host said he created it himself, which of course made us swoon. He was nice enough to go out and get us a fan as it was terribly hot the first evening.

out and about

First stop -- the Dresden. My absolute favorite place to start the night, or spend an entire evening. Psychobabble (now closed) - Greek restaurant/Alcove - movie theatre on the corner - Dresden - Fred 62s was a pretty regular habit of mine circa 2006. My tastes haven't changed all that much.

We met up with friends and ended up downtown, after passing a club called rhonda and the short stop--places I used to frequent but that now have lines that wrap around the buildings and are filled with people that don't dance.

The apparent ease of California life is an illusion, and those who believe the illusion will live here in only the most temporary way.--Joan Didion

The Bloody Mary Bar

The next day we headed to Santa Monica for brunch at Brick + Mortar. We needed bloody marys and some fuel for the day, as well as some ocean breeze. The bloody mary bar was by far the most amazing bloody mary bar I have ever seen. The food was great and the staff was nice enough, but the club-music and Marina-esque scene was a little much for our old souls. Nothing a bit of ocean-side driving could not cure.

Showrooms

Next stops -- The Row showroom + other Melrose Place locales. We had to check out The Row's new showroom. I was so in love I didn't even take photos (luckily, K.Mala did -- check out her instagram). Everything was so perfectly curated and the center pool centered the space and the room. The clothes were smooth and sleek and dripping in chic elegance. I loved them, but also knew none of them would fit my body type. We needed coffee.

Necessary things

Intelligentsia time.

xoxo These two photos are by K.Mala Studios.

The Meat Dancer

After first going to the old location of Kohn gallery and being really, really, confused, we eventually found the current location. The Mark Ryden show was spectacular, two full rooms with detailed oil paintings that will make your skin curl, and opulent custom-designed frames that will make you wish you knew a metalsmith. There's was even a collection of cover songs, a penny-to-play old school arcade carousel thing (don't know how to explain this) and sketches of Ryden's pre-painting work. Everything he does is so precise and so inspiring.

Making Friends on Sunset

We went to our new favorite stores: Reform School and Bucks & Does and made some friends. Bucks & Does was having an anniversary party and Reform School gave us some good bar recommendations. We ended up having dinner at La Poubelle and retiring to bed (after some instagram time -- we now have an instagram!). We were beat.

back to the east coast

The next day I had to pack. I hate packing, but luckily my Cuyana tote and Etxe wallet make it fun because I like putting things in pretty things. They are really the only two things I need to get onto an airplain painlessly - I just put my id in my wallet and everything else in my tote. I never have to dig in my tote when I'm passing security. We stopped for breakfast at food lab and this song ironically played as my friend dropped me off at the curb.

Until next time Los Angeles ...

Here's a playlist that reminds me of LA; It's only half finished.

Back on campus ...

I cannot believe how long it has been since I graduated from USC. Being back on campus for 2014 graduation is absolutely amazing! I am so thankful to work for such an wonderful company that really is changing the face of education. #outcomes #nobackrow

I visited the USC Fisher Museum of Art, where I spent a good chunk of my undergraduate years. I started as a gallery assistant and by Senior year was working for Art in the Village, their non-profit that planned art projects that correlated with the LAUSD curriculum for neighboring schools in South Central LA, organized art exhibits for the students and provided art supplies for all participating classes. The non-profit is no longer around, it ran out of funding last year I believe, but it was an amazing experience. I loved the staff at Fisher and was so happy to see a friendly face when I was visiting yesterday! It really is like a second home.

Things I've learned since graduation

• Be open--you really never know where life will take you.
• If you are happy, keep working at it even if it feels like you aren't getting anywhere.
• Your real friends will always be there for you. No matter how far away they are, or seem to be.
• Life happens fast. Don't miss out by dwelling on the past, even if you have amazing memories.
• Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Your path is your own and it won't look anything like anyone else's.
• If you believe it will happen, it will happen.
• Practice gratitude.
• Do you. No one else can do it better.
• Don't forget where you came from, but be open to all the places you will go.

I never dreamed in a million years I would have lived abroad, traveled alone to many, many places, worked for a start-up in one of the best cities in the world, created things that people actually wear, or have friends to visit all over. Nor did I think I would end up (for now) living blocks away from my sister in the capital of the US, loving my job, living in the best neighborhood and able to blog from a hotel room in downtown LA.

I'm missing all my friends from Annenberg and USC ... we are now quite literally all over the world, but I know I'll be seeing you all soon.

#fighton

xo,

Stephanie